Archive for the ‘Atheism’ Category

I try not to talk about religion because the ensuing conversations usually turn out heated and frustratingly similar, however, I’ve been having a back and forth with JAMES from “Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog” and I just had to put this up here:

It always frustrates me when people, especially elected Congressmen/women say that our country was founded on Christianity. It was not. The founding fathers were deists and atheists and agnostics. Yes, some were Christians and Baptists and Evangelicals, but they knew that having a government based on religion was the WORST kind of government. To this end, I’d like to show these quotes to prove my point:

“The United States of America was in no manner founded on Christian or Jewish principles; quite the contrary the founding fathers found organized religion, particularly Christianity, Catholicism or Protestantism, to be the bloodiest religion in the history of the human race. The Christians, in their religious fanaticism, have created lies twisting and contorting, in order to hide, disquise, and defuse. Thomas Paine did not recant on his death bed, Thomas Jefferson despised Christianity, and the lies about Albert Einstein were started while he was still alive to refute them. In order to redress the wrongs done these distinguished gentleman by a barbaric, bloody, and lying religion we offer their actual quotes in their own words.” Laura Darlene Lansberry

(Art. 11. Treaty of Tripoli 1796): ” As the Government of the United States of America is NOT (caps are mine), in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” Signed by John Adams, President

“The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments, of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue, are complete skeptics in religion.” John Stuart MillCardiff, What Great Men Think of Religion.

“In those parts of the world where learning and science has prevailed, miracles ceased; but in those parts that are barbarous and ignorant, miracles are still in vogue.” Ethan Allen to Thomas Jefferson, January 23, 1825

“Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisioned ; yet we have not advanced on inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.” Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia

“On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind.” Thomas Jefferson, To Carey, 1816

“In the Papal System, Government and religion are in a manner consolidated, and that is found to be the worst of Government.” James Madison, To Adams, 1832

“The United States is in no manner founded on Christian principle.” George Washington

So there. Thank you very much Julia. These quotes are from “The Great Quotations” compiled by George Seldes, Citadel Press, / 1993 ISBN 0-8065-1418-3